


Call on Me

by wellthatjusthappend



Series: Father where art thou? [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Clark accidentally end up parenting, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Would Jason have thought to call to him?, what if Clark was as close to the Bat's round 2 as he was with Dick?, what if universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24904081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellthatjusthappend/pseuds/wellthatjusthappend
Summary: It wasn’t that Clark had never thought about having kids, but when he did it hadn't been like this."Clark... Superman, help."
Relationships: Clark Kent & Jason Todd
Series: Father where art thou? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1802050
Comments: 65
Kudos: 390





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I think this AU would only really be possible in universes where Bruce didn’t fire Dick. There’s no underlying betrayal there between him and Clark and therefore Jason is allowed to be close to them as Dick was way back in the older comics.
> 
> Also woo! Just realized this is the 100th fic for this profile!

It wasn’t that Clark had never thought about having kids. In his imagination, there was a picket fence family, some wife or husband who would tease and challenge him, and a beautiful child he could teach to fly. 

The reality had been so much more damning.

He’d taken great delight in being Dick’s “Uncle Clark”, cherishing the team ups with the dynamic duo like none of the other heroes. He’d nearly burst with pride when Dick introduced him to the new boy Jason and told him that he was helping to train him as a new Robin. 

It had been different with Jason from the start. He’d been a lot more wary of Clark, taking a long time to warm up to him. Clark was a little embarrassed to admit that it was the promise to introduce him to Lois Lane that finally convinced Jason that did the trick. Seemingly, if a reporter as cool as her could like him, than he must be alright. 

The new Dynamic Duo was different, a certain spice and controlled chaos that hadn’t been there with Dick. It was difficult not to hover over Jason- Dick had grown so _quickly,_ so Clark had forgotten how small he used to be- the boy was passionate and had no regard for his own safety sometimes. Clark found himself memorizing the boy’s heartbeat almost immediately. 

When Jason had started trusting Clark- there were no words for the feeling.

“If you ever get into trouble, just call me,” he found himself reminding the boy. 

“I’m always in trouble,” Jason had grinned, “it’s practically Robin’s job.”

“Just the same,” Clark had laughed, “I just want you to remember that you’re not alone. If you’re ever in a situation where you need backup and Batman can’t get to you for whatever reason… call me. So long as I’m not in space at the time, I’ll be able to hear you.”

“Creepy,” Jason wrinkled his nose.

“Jason.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve got my back, I gotcha,” Jason had laughed.

Clark had sighed and wondered at the time if Jason had taken his offer seriously. Over his years as Robin, Jason never called him for crime fighting related reasons as opposed to inviting him into shenanigans he was pulling on Bruce, or book reports, or museums in Metropolis. 

Whenever it happened, Clark felt like Jason was inviting him to be a part of his family. 

And then the day he had been dreading came.

“Cla….rk. Superman…”

It was such a quiet call, Clark almost missed it.

“Hmm? What’s this? Naughty Robin, this is between Bat’s and me, there was no need to bring in the Big Blue,” the Joker sighed dramatically.

Clark had taken one look at the scene- Jason barely breathing on the ground, the Joker standing over him with a bloody crowbar, the woman who could have only been his birth mother going pale and backing away when she saw him- and felt his vision go red. 

Jason’s mother screamed when his heat vision blasted a hole in the Joker’s chest, but Clark couldn’t bring himself to care. Clark barely registered the Jokers smile freezing on his face as he crumpled to the ground, just rushed to his boy's side. He knelt down next to Jason and brushed his hair back from his face as he scanned his injuries more closely and found… too much.

“Knew you’d come,” Jason gave him a weak bloody grin, his eyes pained and out of focus.

“I need you to stay awake for me, ok?” Clark murmured, mind racing frantically. Jason’s mother fled the building, but Clark couldn’t find it in himself to care. Even if they got to a hospital that moment, Clark wasn’t sure what they’d be able to do.

But human hospitals weren’t Clark’s only option. 

“You’re going to be ok, I’m going to get you out of here,” Clark promised, wrapping Jason securely in his cape and gathering the boy into his arms. Jason made a small terrible sound at the pain, and Clark didn’t waste another minute before he was flying as quickly as was safe to the Fortress. 

“Jor-El, this boy needs immediate medical attention as quickly as possible,” Clark told the AI the moment he touched down. 

“The fortress is not optimized for human biology-” the AI started complaining. 

“I don’t care,” Clark snapped, “Just do what you can. We have to save him.”

A pause.

"It shall be as Kal-El wishes," the AI finally said begrudgingly. 

There was a whirring sound as the Fortress took a quick scan of Jason.

“The damage is extensive. The most immediate danger is suffocation from a collapsed and punctured lung, followed closely by head trauma. He will need to be put in the healing pods for immediate support,” the AI reported.

“Of course, just quickly…” Clark said in a strained voice. The moment the pod emerged, Clark rushed to open it and lay Jason down. Actually letting him go was one of the more difficult things he’d ever done. He was terrified that even the healing pod wouldn’t be enough. 

“Clark…?” Jason slurred.

“It’s alright, Jay,” Clark shushed him, “I’m going to take care of you.”

“Bruce…?”

“I’ll take care of him too, don’t worry, just rest.”

“...m’kay,” Jason drifted again and Clark sealed him inside the container. 

He watched closely until the pod kicked into gear enough that Jason’s breathing became less labored and the pain eased from his expression. 

Panic still rushed in his veins and looking at his shaking hands just made him more aware of how much blood was on him.

Clark couldn't think about that anymore so instead he called Bruce.

“Jason called me. He’s at the Fortress with me,” Clark got straight to the point. 

The small- slightly broken- relieved noise Bruce made had Clark feeling a little guilty he hadn’t called right away. But he’d been afraid to even waste a second when Jason’s life was hanging in the balance. 

“Will he be ok?” Bruce asked quickly. He knew that the only reason Clark would have taken Jason to the Fortress was if he was badly hurt; Jason hated the cold. 

“I hope so,” Clark said letting out a shuddering breath and staring at the soft glow of the pod, “It’s bad Bruce. I don’t think even a hospital would have been able to do anything for him. I have to hope that the Fortress will.”

The quiet on Bruce’s side was pained. 

“Tell me what happened,” he growled at last. 

“I feel like I should be asking _you_ that,” Clark said a little more sharply than he intended, “why weren’t you with him? Why didn’t you call me the moment you lost contact?”

“I didn’t even consider- I was just trying to find him,” this time Bruce’s tone was a familiar guilt ridden one.

Clark felt the directionless anger in him drain out just as quickly as it had come. 

“What happened?” he asked again, more softly. 

This time Bruce told him. Or perhaps confessed would be a more accurate term.

“He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the Joker,” Bruce said hopelessly, “I told him to stay away and not go after him. He was supposed to have stayed with his mother.”

“She must have sold him out,” Clark growled, feeling some of that anger come back, “She was there, Bruce, just smoking a- a cigarette and watching while that mad man beat him. I let her go- I couldn’t- I needed to take care of Jason first.”

“You did the right thing. I’ll find her,” Bruce promised, “I still have to catch the Joker first though.”

Ah. Well. 

“I killed him.”

Silence.

“He was killing Jason, Bruce. He was laughing as he tortured him. You weren’t there, Bruce, you didn’t see- I’m not sorry,” Clark said, closing his eyes and seeing the scene he’d arrive to repeating over and over behind his eyes.

“Clark-”

“Don’t ask me to be sorry, Bruce,” Clark rasped, his blood streaked hands clenched into fists, “Don’t ask me to be sorry when my cape and suit are still soaked with Jason’s blood. I can’t.”

Another long silence.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Bruce finally said.

“Okay.”

“I need to go find Sheila Haywood.”

“Okay.”

“And-” Bruce stopped himself, “Take care of him.”

That part was easy for Clark to answer.

“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clark doesn't know it yet, but he has effectively turned his life upside down. He will never regret his decision to answer Jason's call or to kill the Joker, even if it ends up breaking his friendship with Bruce (hopefully it won't, but it will definitely put a strain on it).


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this was supposed to be a one-shot. Then a two shot. Now I don't even know.

Clark cried when Jason woke up. 

Jason grumbled about it tiredly, but when Clark clutched him, he held back tightly. 

“Kinda thought I was a goner, even after I called you,” Jason admitted, trying to play it off as nothing though Clark could see the strain in his shoulders.

“I was terrified we were going to lose you,” Clark said.

“Yeah, well, guess in the end I don’t go down that easy,” Jason joked.

“There was nothing  _ easy _ about what you went through,” Clark squeezed his shoulders, “There’s no excuse- you never ever could have deserved what happened to you.”

“I don’t know,” Jason said bitterly, “it was pretty stupid of me to trust a stranger. I thought- well, anyway, Bruce is going to think he was right for firing me now. He always says I’m too reckless.”

Bruce did  _ what? _ He failed to mention that part. Clark was going to need to have a  _ word _ with the man. 

“No,” Clark said firmly, “That woman sold you out. She had a responsibility to you and she failed. I know Bruce has some funny ideas about trust, but wanting to believe in people is never a bad thing.”

“Should never have gone looking for her in the first place,” mumbled Jason, “was stupid. I just wanted- my folks weren’t that great before they kicked it, and Bruce has been kinda getting sick of me lately, so I just thought if I found my real mom she might, y’know, be different.”

Clark wanted to bodily shake Bruce. 

“Should have known better, right?” Jason laughed humorlessly, “she gave me up for adoption, she clearly never wanted- oof!” 

Clark hadn’t meant to squeeze Jason quite that hard, but he’d needed to hold him immediately.

“They’re fools,” Clark told him fiercely, “anyone would be lucky to have you as a son, understood? You deserve so much more than this.”

“Ha,” Jason said, though there was a wetness on Clarks shoulder that he’d ignore for Jason’s pride, “what would you know about anything; you don’t even have kids.”

Clark felt like he was learning more about what that meant every day. 

“You should still take my word for it,” Clark said, giving him another squeeze, “I am older and wiser.”

“Right,” Jason laughed and tried to casually wipe his eyes. 

With some reluctance, Clark let him go and helped prop him up in the bed.

“What are we?” Jason asked curiously.

“Kent Farm,” Clark said wryly, “you were at the Fortress, but once you were more stable I moved you here. I thought it would be more comfortable.”

“No offense, but why aren’t I back at the Manor?” Jason frowned slightly. 

Because Bruce is being an asshole and- no, Jason didn’t need to hear any of that.

“Even though you’ve been healing well, you were still really badly hurt and the farm was already set up for Kryptonian tech from back when this was my base of operations,” Clark explained, “we wanted to be extra careful and the Cave wasn’t set up for this level of care.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Jason said, although he was still frowning.

“Here, go ahead and call Alfred and Bruce,” Clark said gently, handing him his phone, “Dick is still in space, but I’ve been keeping him up to date as well. Everyone has been very worried about you.”

Jason flushed a little and nodded, looking embarrassed and little shyly pleased.

Clark still fretted that he was far too pale.

“If you're up for it, I’ll have Ma bring you some food. She’s been dying to spoil you for a while now,” Clark joked.

“Sure,” Jason gave him a tired smile. 

It was the first real smile he’d had since he woke up. 

* * *

At Jason’s request, he moved back to the Manor after a few days.

Clark found himself checking up on him constantly though. The healing pods had to focus on the most serious injuries, so there were quite a few things that needed to heal the normal way. He had dozens of small fractures as well as a couple bad breaks on his left foot and wrist. The pod had fixed most of the breaks on his ribs since they were such a risk to his healing lungs, but they were still badly bruised. He’d been hit in the eye at least once, and it would be a while before they’d be able to know how well he’d heal. 

It was unlikely that everything would heal perfectly. 

Clark knew Jason worried about not ever being able to go back onto the streets again. 

“I don’t want to talk about it. I have to get better. Robin is… everything. Batman needs me out there,” Jason told him. He’d called Clark to the Manor because he couldn’t climb onto the roof himself anymore and he was going stir-crazy.

There was a part of Clark that wished Jason would never go back onto the streets. He’d almost lost him once that way and Clark had always had mixed feelings about having such young people on the front lines. 

Still, there was another part of him that knew it would be another kind of death for Jason to give it up this way. 

“Robin has been a wonderful gift for you,” Clark observed, “But just because you’re Robin doesn’t mean you have to be the same kind of Robin as Dick was. I think even if you heal perfectly, you have an opportunity here to reinvent yourself.”

“That’s very diplomatic of you Mr. Reporter,” Jason gave him a cross look, “A nice way to say ‘you should think about your other options now that you can’t be Robin anymore’.”

“That’s not what I said and that’s not what I meant even on some secret level,” Clark said mildly.

“Right,” huffed Jason, disbelievingly. 

“Your 15, Jason,” Clark pointed out, folding his legs to sit more comfortably on the roof, “this is a time where you’re starting to figure out who you are and who you want to become. You’ve taken a lot more initiative in this area than most teenagers, but it’s still a good time to think about what you want. Not what Bruce or anyone else wants or expects you to be, but what  _ you _ want.”

“...I guess,” Jason said at last.

They didn’t talk about it again, but more than once, Clark caught Jason sitting thoughtfully turning the Robin shuriken over and over in his hands.

Clark was worried about how little he saw Bruce with Jason, but he tried to remind himself that it wasn’t his place to interfere. 

It wasn’t like Bruce was talking to him at the moment anyway.

In his absence though, Alfred started seeking him out.

“I fear the young Master might be having seizures,” Alfred confided in him, “I can’t be sure, but there’s been a few incidents where I haven’t been able to rouse him right away. Twice when we were conferring he stopped mid-sentence and stared blankly at nothing before repeating what he had said moments before.”

Fear squeezed Clarks heart for a moment, but he composed himself.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, even with how well he’s been healing, the amount of head trauma he had… It’s worth going to the Fortress for some more scans,” Clark said, running a hand through his hair, “it might be also worth finding a human physician that we can start tracking with as well.”

“I agree. I will send you a list of doctors that can be trusted,” Alfred nodded.

That made Clark pause, “Me?”

The whole conversation was a little bit of a strange one for Alfred to be reporting to him, and although he appreciated it… it seemed like a Bruce thing. 

“I was also wondering if we could intrude on your hospitality once more,” Alfred continued, seeming to ignore the elephant in the room, “I continue to worry for Master Jason’s health and I’d be much more comfortable if you were there to keep an eye on him in case something happened that needed immediate attention. You’d be able to detect a seizure much quicker than I and have far more resources at your disposal to do something about it.”

“Of course,” Clark frowned, that didn’t explain why Alfred thought Jason should come with him rather than Clark stay at the Manor, “but-?”

“The air in Gotham has also been giving Jason a bit of difficulty- there were small traces of blood last time he was coughing- and I think the country air would easier on him while his lungs continue to recover and strengthen,” Alfred continued.

“That also makes sense, but-”

“Furthermore, the sounds of sirens in the city and the sight of the Batsignal have been creating a fair amount of stress and I fear that he is either not sleeping or having nightmares. I think being away from the city will help his anxiety levels,” Alfred said.

Which also was understandable, he likely had some severe PTSD and it hurt to think about, but it still didn’t explain why Alfred was the one telling him this. 

“Alfred,” Clark said seriously, “Where’s Bruce?”

Alfred pursed his lips, a look of extreme disapproval on his face, but not- Clark realized- directed at him. 

“Master Bruce is yet another reason I think Master Jason would be better in your care for a while,” Alfred sighed at last, “Despite my best efforts, he has been largely absent and avoidant. He comes to guard him in his sleep, but I fear he blames himself for what happened. Master Jason on the other hand has been interpreting his behavior as disappointment and thinks that he’d failed him.”

“Dammit Bruce,” Clark muttered.

“It has been a rather vicious cycle here,” agreed Alfred, “I’m hoping that this will also shock Master Bruce out of his stupor. Sometimes he needs a bit of a push- and a reminder that there are consequences to his actions- to start improving his behavior.”

“You haven’t spoken to him about Jason coming to live with me,” Clark surmised with a sigh.

“I have,” Alfred corrected him, “but Master Bruce would not listen to reason. However, I will not stand by and let Master Jason suffer unnecessarily for his pride.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Clark sighed.

Or maybe shake him. 

“Thank you. I don’t think you have any idea the support you’ve been to the boys over the years,” Alfred said sincerely. 

“I do my best,” Clark said, smiling weakly, “have you spoken to Jason?”

“Spoken to me about what?” Jason asked warily, hobbling into the kitchen on his cane.

Not for the first time, Clark noted that the Manor wasn’t particularly friendly to disabled people. The sheer distance that had to be traveled from room to room- but this was not the time for that.

“We were talking about maybe having you come stay with me at the farm again,” Clark said honestly, “Would you be interested in that?”

Jason was instantly tense and suspicious. 

“What happened?” he asked, stress creeping into his voice, “What are you keeping from me? Is it Batman? I  _ knew _ Bruce had been keeping something from me lately-”

“It’s nothing like that,” Clark hurried to reassure him, “I haven’t even talked to Bruce about this idea yet, I just wanted to run it by you.”

Jason looked warily between the two of them.

“It’s true, Master Jason,” Alfred said, “This effort was initiated by myself and Mister Kent. It is not about Batman.”

“I have never lied to you Jason,” Clark willed Jason to believe him, “and I’m not about to start now.”

“No, but you still keep shit from me,” Jason accused.

“Sometimes,” Clark readily admitted, “If I think it’s something you’d be happier not knowing. But if it really bothers you, you can always ask me about it. There may be times where I simply am not at liberty to tell you something- especially if it’s someone else’s secret- but I will always try to be up front about that sort of thing.”

“Good of you to not promise everything,” Jason mumbled.

“I’m being honest,” Clark shrugged, “I’m a man who sees and hears a great deal of things in the world. I cannot always help but know some things, but I do my best to preserve people’s privacy where I can.”

“I guess that makes sense,” mumbled Jason.

“Did you come here for food, Master Jason?” Alfred inquired after a moment.

“Yeah…”

“Very good,” Alfred said approvingly, “I will have something ready in a few minutes if you and Mister Kent would like to wait out at the dining room.

“Thanks Alfie,” Jason smiled tiredly. 

“Oh, I’d hate to impose-”

“Nonsense, you’re staying for dinner Mister Kent,” Alfred scolded him. 

“I suppose if you insist,” Clark relented ruefully. 

He noticed that Jason was starting to stiffen up from standing so long, but he doubted he’d appreciate being asked if he wanted to lie down.

“Shall we head to the TV room?” asked Clark, thinking of the large comfortable couches there. 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Jason said, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly in relief. 

Clark scooped the boy up and flew them to the TV room before Jason could protest the indignity. He got a look for his trouble, but Clark didn’t want to make him walk across that huge house more than he needed to. 

“So no lying, right?” Jason confirmed as he settled carefully down into the cushions. 

“No lying,” Clark agreed.

“Do you know what’s up with Bruce?” Jason asked, watching him closely. 

Oh boy. 

“There are likely several things ‘up’ with Bruce,” Clark said with a sigh, “I have some guesses, but I couldn’t say for sure about any one thing.”

Jason nodded to himself as if that made sense. Clark could see the part of him that was purely Robin turning over the situation from every angle. 

“Did he act like he was hiding something the last time you talked to him?” Jason asked.

Clark sighed. There was really no point in hiding it from Jason any longer, he was going to find out eventually. 

“Bruce and I haven’t been speaking lately, so I don’t think I could tell you,” Clark admitted warily. 

“What?” that got Jason’s attention, “Why?”

“We got into an argument,” Clark said carefully, “And you know how Bruce can be.”

“What did you fight about?” Jason frowned.

He was probably worried that it was about him.

“The Joker,” Clark said simply.

Instantly, Jason’s face went pale and his heart rate accelerated and his eyes became a little haunted. This was why Clark had hesitated about bringing it up. 

“Easy, Jason,” Clark soothed, carefully rubbing the boy’s back as Jason worked to keep his breathing in check, “I’ve got you.”

“I’m okay,” Jason said after a moment, swallowing hard. Clark didn’t quite believe him, “I can guess what you argued about then. Bruce still protecting that bastard?”

Clark debated another moment, but-

“The Joker is dead, Jason,” Clark told him.

Jason went completely still.

“What?” he choked.

“I killed him when I found him hurting you,” Clark admitted, “Bruce knows I could have gotten you out of there without ever touching him, and that it was murder. That the Joker was his responsibility and I should have left him to Batman… he is right, I could have done that. But I also couldn’t. That man almost took you away from us for good, and I couldn’t.”

“He’s dead,” repeated Jason.

“Yes.”

Jason started laughing almost hysterically. 

“Jason-” Clark began worriedly.

“He’s dead,” Jason said, tears starting to flow freely down his face, “He’s head, he- thank god.”

All at once, Clark understood.

“Yes,” Clark agreed gently, pulling Jason into his arms, “He’s gone, Jason.”

“Thank god,” Jason said again, burying his face in Clark’s shoulder and clinging like a child, “I’ve been h-having these nightmares where he comes back for me to finish- fuck.”

“He’s gone,” Clark repeated, “You’re safe, Jason. I won’t let anything like that happen to you again.”

Jason clung to him a little tighter.

Clark just held him close until his shuddering breaths started to even out.

“Take me to the farm?” he requested finally in a small voice, “I can’t be here anymore.”

“Of course,” Clark pressed a kiss to his brow, “You will always have a place with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course Bruce didn't tell Jason about the Joker. There's still a part of him that would probably seek to 'correct' the mistake if Clark hadn't incinerated the body. Bruce get's weird about the Joker in ways that I don't like one bit. 
> 
> Jason is too much a victim for him right now, and not enough his son. Clark is stepping up though.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes some angst and family feels. Kinda short, but I had it so I thought I might as well post since this week will be kinda busy.

“Clark, honey, I think you better come home and check on your boy,” Ma called softly one day when Clark was in the office.

It didn’t sound like an emergency, but...

“Gotta step out for a minute, cover me?” Clark murmured to Lois.

“Your kid?” Lois asked worriedly.

“He’s not my-” Clark stopped himself at the look she was giving him, “yeah. Hopefully nothing big, but I want to make sure he’s alright.”

“Get going, Smallville,” Lois gave him a shove.

He smiled at her fleetingly and mused- not for the first time- how lucky he was to have someone like her in his life. 

Then he was honing in on Jason’s heartbeat- going a bit fast, but within normal ranges- and flew. 

When he saw him, Clark knew what Ma meant.

Jason was propped up in his new leg brace hacking apart the weeds and old rotting wood behind the pasture. He was covered in sweat and wheezing slightly from the exertion, but it was the rage in his expression that made Clark pause.

“Jason…” Clark touched down lightly, “What happened?”

“He replaced me,” Jason said, anger and agnonized betrayal etched into his face, “He just- how could he  _ do _ that?”

There was no question who  _ he _ was.

“What do you mean?” Clark asked, though he had a sneaking suspicion… but surely Bruce wouldn’t…

“There’s a new boy,” Jason growled, “Just picked him up and started training him for Robin like I never existed. He just- I feel so  _ stupid.  _ I actually bought into it all, y’know? That he cared about me; that I was someone special to him. But no, he just wanted another child soldier once Dick flew the coop- fuck. “

Jason scrubbed at him face furiously, and went after the weeds even more viciously. 

“How’d you find out?” asked Clark, settling down.

“Hacked into the cave feeds,” Jason muttered distractedly, “I was worried that he might be- but the kid was just  _ there _ , wearing  _ my _ old shit, training with Bruce like I never  _ existed _ .”

“No one could ever replace you, and I’m sure that was not Bruce’s intention,” Clark said soothingly, “I’m sorry that you had to find out that way though. That must have hurt. Bruce should have come to you first and that is on him.”

“Did you know about this?” Jason finally looked at him, and the hurt in his gaze made Clark’s chest ache. 

“No,” said Clark seriously, “I’ve been giving Bruce space. If I had known, I would have confronted him about this earlier and have him talk to you first before he ever brought on another boy, like I did when it was Dick and you.”

“He never expected me to be able to go back to being Robin, did he?” Jason said, hopelessly, “I was done the second the Joker got his hands on me, wasn’t I?”

Oh Jason…

“I don’t know what all is going though Bruce’s head,” Clark said carefully, “It’s not as if there’s a rule that there can only be one Robin at a time, it’s possible that he never saw any reason that you wouldn’t still be coming back. You’ll have to ask him that question.”

_ Before which time I will be giving him sternly worded talk about  _ **_tact_ ** , Clark thought. 

Sometimes it was really difficult to be Bruce’s friend and Jason’s… father. They hadn’t put words to it yet out loud, and Clark wasn’t completely sure how Jason saw him, but Clark couldn’t deny any more that he saw Jason as his son. 

“You don’t  _ do _ that to a partner,” Jason said hopelessly, “It’s done. But, fuck, I wasn’t ready for it to be.”

“It’s completely justified for you to be angry and sad about this,” Clark said, “Bruce hurt you, whether he meant to or not.”

“Yeah…” Jason mumbled, finally stopping and just staring at the mess he made of the grass. 

“C’mon,” Clark tugged the tool out of his hand, “let’s go inside. Ma’s worried about you and I think you’ve got some splinters we’ll want to get out pretty quick. You’ll want to ice your hand too, it’s swelling pretty badly.”

“Punched a wall,” mumbled Jason, “Didn’t break nothing though.”

“That’s good,” Clark assured him, “I wouldn’t have been mad at you if you did though: that was a nasty surprise to just find.”

Jason said nothing.

“Do you need a minute?” Clark asked gently. 

“No, but…” Jason frowned unhappily, “I think I overdid it and I don’t know…”

Oh, his leg was hurting him. Clark probably should have figured that out from the stiffness of his body. 

“Why don’t I give you a lift then,” Clark smiled.

Jason nodded curtly, and Clark scooped him up and flew them quickly to the kitchen, settling Jason with his leg up and going to get a few packs of ice. 

“Oh, honey, you ok?” Ma started fretting over him immediately.

“M’ok,” Jason said, clearly embarrassed, “just need to ice.”

“A snack probably wouldn’t be amis,” Clark said, coming back with the packs, “do we still have that lemonade?”

“Oh, I have just the thing,” Ma said, bustling off.

Jason hissed a bit when he turned his leg a bit so the ice pack could lay on his knee properly, while Clack pressed the other to his knuckles.

“I was going to call Dick and see if he would want to come over tonight, is that ok? Or do you want some more time to yourself?” Clark asked, as he pulled out the tweezers for the splinters.

“If he’s not too busy…” Jason said flushing slightly.

“I’ll ask,” Clark smiled and sent a quick text. 

“I guess if anyone has an idea of what might be going through Bruce’s head, it’s Dick,” Jason said ruefully. 

“Indeed,” Clark agreed, “I’m sure Alfred could shed some light as well, and you know he loves coming to cook for you.”

“Yeah,” and this time Jason’s smile was a little better.

Clark took a moment just to savor that. 

“But I think what really needs to happen is for you to have a talk with Bruce himself,” Clark said gently, “It’s probably not going to be any fun, but I think it would be good for the two of you.”

“Bruce can suck it,” Jason grumbled, “I don’t want to see him.”

“Fair,” Clark allowed with a smile, “but it’s not ok for him to jerk you around anymore either, so I think it’d be good for him to come clean to you.”

Jason was quiet as he thought about that.

“It doesn’t have to be now,” Clark assured him, “in fact, I recommend that it’s  _ not _ today so that you can think about what you want to say. But Bruce’s actions have been hurting you, and I for one am not ok with him continuing like this.”

“Yeah…” Jason’s eyes were distant, “You’re probably right. Maybe Dick has some ideas.”

Dick was probably going to go rip Bruce a new one. He was very fond of Jason and had become downright protective of him after he had been injured. Clark wasn’t feeling particularly charitable towards Bruce though with how he had been treating the boys. 

“He probably does,” Clark agreed. 

“Alright, who wants lemonade and muffins?” Ma asked, shuffling back in with a tray. 

“Thank you Mrs. Kent,” Jason said politely, taking muffin with his good hand. 

“Jay, I’ve told you a thousand times to just call me Gran,” Ma scolded him.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Jason ducked his head. 

“Clark, go draw this boy a bath, he’d been working hard and it’d hot out there,” Ma instructed him, “You just sit tight and enjoy your snack, we’ll take care of everything, okay?”

“Thanks Gran.”

Clark smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Batman still loses and Robin and fails to cope, which means Tim would still enter the scene. It'll be difficult to convince Jason not to hate him considering everything, which is a bummer since Tim definitely idolizes him.


End file.
